Living

Sometimes we get so caught up in the things that we are supposed to do and how we are supposed to act that we forget to even enjoy the blessings that we have and embrace the possibilities at hand. I don't want to live like that. I never have wanted to just fit the mold.

I wish I could have a reminder of that every morning before I start my day.
I would be much more light-hearted.

: ]

YOU.

"You. Yes, you. I am writing this for you.

I know you are reading this. And I want you to know I am writing this for you. No one else will understand. No one else knows. They think that this is for them. But it’s not. I am writing this for you.

I want you to know, life…it’s hard. Every day can be a challenge. It can be a challenge to get up in the morning. To get yourself out of bed. To put on that smile. But I want you to know, that smile is what keeps me going some days. You need to remember, even through the tough times, you are amazing. You really are.

You should be happy. You are gorgeous.

I know that the weather might not be perfect. You might have to turn your back to the wind or feel the cold nipping at your nose. But you know what, at least you are there to feel it. At least you can enjoy the sun’s warm rays on your face. Or that cold February wind biting at your cheeks. You know what that means?

You are alive.

Everything will be okay."

90 Days

It's extremely gross outside and I don't like it. It has taken a pretty big toll on my mood. I have not been feeling too wonderfully about myself the past couple weeks. I really want to change that before it gets out of control...

Thus, I'm going to embark on the p90x journey of staying active and getting in shape for the next 90 days. I'm going to make a commitment to blogging every few days so that I can at least have some sort of accountability for myself. I am going to steer clear of my desire to bake and veg out on the couch.

So, I'm going to be cooking very healthful meals and getting in shape hard core... for the next 90 days...

Wish me luck.

Upon Waking...

...this morning, I was bomb-barded by Death. I am really disappointed in humanity and their celebration of death and brutality. It's so inappropriate.. Yes, Osama Bin Laden is responsible for an unfathomably number of human deaths. I understand the importance of his death. But, why is it that we have to celebrate his death directly with words like, "I wanted to be the one to shoot him." and "OBAMAS DEAD....FUCK YEAH!!!" I appreciate those who decided to celebrate the relief this brings, not the actual death of a human being.Not only that, people are using every chance they get to bash our President. I'm just disgusted and it's only 930am.

Can't we just all get along?

...ahimsa...

Interesting..

From http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29955927/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

Proponents say:
HFCS contains mercury.

The verdict: Nearly half of the 20 HFCS samples tested in a recent study contained small amounts of potentially harmful mercury, according to a report in Environmental Health. While the Corn Refiners Association argues that the research was based on outdated information, another study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy found that one-third of all HFCS-containing foods it bought in the fall of 2008 tested positive for the toxin. The researchers believe that HFCS is probably the source: A compound known as caustic soda, which is used to separate the corn starch from the kernel, can be tainted with mercury, and there's no way for you to know whether the caustic soda used was contaminated, according to study author David Wallinga, MD. Although much of the US production of caustic soda uses mercury-free technology, not all manufacturers worldwide have followed suit, adding fuel to the argument for minimizing HFCS intake.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

As toxins and foreign proteins are being flushed out of my body, I begin to notice subtle changes in my body after I eat food. Example: I have recently discovered that after I eat sugary foods (cookies, brownies and the like) I feel awful. Not only is the effect physical but mentally and emotionally I feel depressed and sluggish. It was so much so that I have really considered just nixing sweets. I LOVE chocolate, like any normal female should, but I need to just keep a couple dark-chocolate bars in the pantry and break off a small piece when I want my chocolate fix. I used to do that but with all of the enticing vegan sweets recipes that I come across, I can't help but try them out.

However, my mental and emotional health is very necessary for my life, especially as finals are soon, so I will be giving up those sweet treats for a while.

The same effect happens when I over-eat. Obviously, over-eating is really awful. It's all about how you are perceiving food though. Food is fuel. It's nourishment and thankfully it's yummy too! But, we have to keep in mind that we are fortunate enough as Americans to have food security and the food will be there an couple hours later when we are hungry again. We have every day to eat new food.

So, a couple of my recent goals are to really work on eating until 80% full as recommended in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and also to cut down on the sweets for my mental state.

Have you ever?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going?

But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.